George R.R. Martin has published a rare blog post revealing a difficult period behind his continued delay of The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited next instalment in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Writing on his "Not A Blog" for the first time in over six months, the author cited grief, depression and the loss of close friends as factors affecting his work, offering fans an unusually candid explanation for the lack of progress on the novel.

Martin, who turned 77 last September, wrote that he had "lost friends" and "battled sadness and depression," adding that "the worst may be yet to come." He did not mention The Winds of Winter or A Song of Ice and Fire directly, and much of the post instead focused on praise for HBO's Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which has received Emmy nominations that Martin hopes to attend next month. The novel is now considered at least 12 years overdue, depending on which missed deadline is used as a reference point.